Curtis & Loretta are as good an argument as any for the preservation of a space within the current acoustic scene for, you know, folk music. Not that there's anything wrong with coffeehouse singer-handwringers or collegiate rockers with mandolins. And not that space shouldn't also be made for Indonesian gamelans, Nordic roots, or anything else. It's just that the perfect, ringing Celtic harmonies of Loretta Simonet and Curtis Teague represent one of the purest and most accessible pleasures in local music. And the duo's latest album, Sit Down Beside Me (Haymarket Music), provides a perfect showcase for the lyricism that a longtime couple can discover with vintage traditional instruments (Teague on mandocello, Simonet on Celtic harp). Forgoing the duo's fine originals, Sit Down is a collection of traditional songs from the British Isles, sung with confidence and feeling. The tunes are restorations as surely as the vintage instruments upon which they're played, but if subjects such as whales or heartbroken maidens don't particularly speak to you, the voices recalling them will.

For their latest CD, "Sit Down Beside Me," Minneapolis duo Curtis Teague and Loretta Simonet chose to interpret a set of familiar songs and tunes from the British Isles. Loretta's almost operatic alto and Curtis' rich tenor form a lush, polished and varied vocal blend. The pair's instrumental interplay is equally compelling, with Loretta's harp textures dancing in and around Curtis' deft guitar and mandolin lines. This is an elegant recording, satisfying from start to finish.

This duo on guitar and harp, both with great voices, team up to present an album of traditional songs and instrumentals from Britain and Ireland. Most selections will be familiar to the Celtic music fan, but there are some nice obscure tunes as well.

My mother once came to me with what seemed a strange request. She wanted some tapes to play in the car, and wanted to hear a variety of different music types on each tape. Curtis and Loretta can do that; their previous recording, "Gone Forever," reveals their Singer/Songwriter and British Isles sides. But for me, I usually pick a type of music and listen to that for a while. And if I'm in the mood for Irish-influenced music, this is the sort of disc I reach for.

Let's confess it right up front: I have a small conflict of interest in reviewing this album. I did a little research for Curtis & Loretta, and my name does appear in the liner notes. But my only role was in the liner notes, and those are the one thing I'm going to say nasty things about, so I think I can claim to be unbiased.

So: If all you care about is the record, this is a great record. No questions, no hesitations. If you like British Isles music, you'll like this. And if you don't, this might convert you.

The moment I stuck the disc in the boombox, I noticed the instrumental work. Curtis plays mandocello, mandolin, and guitar, while Loretta plays harp, guitar, and mandolin. On this recording, they're joined by Sandy Njoes on bass, Lisa Fuglie on fiddle, and Robin Whitebird on bodhrán. It's a fine combination. I love what Curtis does with the mandocello; I've heard lots of Irish albums with mandolin family instruments, but I've never heard one where it fits so well. You'd think they invented the mandocello for this. I was and am immensely impressed. I find myself seized by the desire to learn the mandocello — something I'd never felt before. The rest of the backup work doesn't have that completely unique feel, but it's still very well done, and suits the songs very well. Most of the songs have Celtic harp accompaniment, and who can argue with that?

The vocal work is also wonderful. Loretta is, to my taste, the best female singer in the Twin Cities, and the two have an excellent sense of vocal harmony. Everything they do blends together perfectly.

As I was looking over the list of songs, trying to pick favorites, I realized that I liked every single song I didn't already know. That's quite an accomplishment.

The overall tone of the album is very lively (Irish influence, I think); I've never heard "No, John, No" or "The Parting Glass" done with quite this much juice. But they certainly don't suffer for it.

Which brings us to my one complaint: The liner notes. Loretta told me that they spent an arm and a leg putting full liner notes in "Gone Forever," and decided to cut back this time. They'll send you a lyric sheet if you request it (via e-mail or SASE). I don't like it, but I guess I understand it.

But they really could have done more. The sole information about the songs is the country of origin (this is where I contributed). No statement of their own source, or why they recorded the song. I miss that. And there was room; they filled up the notes with photos.

My oft-stated policy is to award three stars based on the disc and one based on the liner notes. The music is three-out-of-three stars. The notes are the only source of trouble. I wish it were otherwise. But I have absolutely no hesitations about recommending this disc. It's just plain great music.

Bob Waltz